Fatwire Article Portlet

On-farm

The welfare concerns facing farm animals during their time on-farm are extremely broad. Whilst some of these issues can be specific to a particular farm animal species, some issues can be applicable to a wide number of species.

Species specific issues are covered on our web pages relevant to that farm animal, whilst the more general issues – that are applicable to a number of species – are covered here.

Watch our animation to find out about some of the on-farm welfare issues for pigs, meat chickens and laying hens, and how you can help.

Large scale farming

The large scale farming of animals is a controversial issue. There’s often concern that by scaling up the farm enterprise, the welfare of the animals will inevitably suffer, and the animals will be viewed as mere commodities.

Where conditions or management are inadequate, welfare can clearly be compromised. But this is the case for all sizes of farm – large or small. It’s not the scale of production that, in itself, has an impact on welfare, but the conditions that the animals are kept in.

Find out more about our position on large scale farming, and what we’re doing to improve the welfare of animals on farms of every size, by downloading our briefing paper on Large scale farming (PDF 260KB).

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

The widescale use of antimicrobials, and in particular antibiotics, is a worrying trend. Some antibiotics are becoming less effective at curing bacterial infections, and this must be addressed to safeguard the health of humans and animals in the future.

We believe that antibiotics should only be used when necessary, and always be used responsibly.